Bill and Joe talk through the latest headlines surrounding Israel and Gaza as of late afternoon (ET) on Monday, October 23, 2023.

At almost two weeks (!) into the war, we remain on standby for Israel's anticipated ground invasion of Gaza and continue to watch Israel's northern border for more activity from Hezbollah.

And to complicate the already complicated: an incident yesterday on the Red Sea marked the first active engagement by the U.S. in this ongoing war, when the USS Carney shot down missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis.

So for today's briefing, Bill and Joe called in their FDD colleague and top expert on Iran, Behnam Ben Taleblu. 

Bill and Joe convene (plot twist: in-person) to discuss the latest from Israel at war — including the explosion at the hospital in Gaza.

(Episode material up to date as of late morning/early afternoon ET on Wednesday, October 18.)

Bill and Joe give an update on the latest from Israel as of later morning/early afternoon (ET) on October 15, 2023.

Bill and Joe give another update on the latest developments from Israel almost one week into the war.

Bill and Joe discuss the latest news surrounding the war against Israel on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

Bill is joined again by LWJ's Joe Truzman to unpack the latest developments from Israel.

Bill is joined by LWJ/FDD's Joe Truzman to talk about the war (yes, it's officially a war) happening now in Israel.

Where in the world might the next state collapse into failure?

Hosts Bill and Caleb ultimately narrowed it down to two options: Somalia or Mali.

Shabaab in Somalia has aptly been dubbed "The Taliban of Africa," given how well-organized, well-armed and effective it is there as a jihadist group.

But Mali is actually the weaker state. To boot:

— The UN has undertaken an unprecedented withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces and will no longer have a presence in Mali by the end of this year;

— France, which was a major counterterrorism partner, has already completely withdrawn its troops from Mali;

— There is currently an Islamic Statelet in northern Mali, where the Islamic State controls the majority of an entire province;

— Al Qaeda controls huge swaths of territory in both northern and central Mali, and it increasingly threatens Bamako as it slowly encroaches on the capital;

— And also in the ring: Russia's Wagner Group.

Despite all of these excellent targets, the country's ruling military junta in Bamako is threatening open conflict with rebels in the north — a situation that could easily erupt into war.

Bill and Caleb agree: It's Mali on the brink.

Bill is joined by Jerry Dunleavy and James Hasson to discuss their new book: Kabul: The Untold Story of Biden’s Fiasco — from the Biden administration’s deeply flawed decision to withdraw from Afghanistan to its equally disastrous execution of the withdrawal, which was completed two years ago today.